NEW YORK — If owners of drycleaning companies and other small businesses don’t take control of their day, circumstances — or other people — will. 

Rashelle Isip, a New York City-based productivity consultant and time management coach with The Order Expert, had plenty of advice for addressing that during her recent online presentation, “Time Management Strategies for Small-Business Owners,” sponsored by the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE).

Part 1 of this series explored how a calendar system can keep owners and operators on schedule and prevent being drawn away from tasks at hand. In Part 2, we took a deeper look into the daily use of calendars as a critical time-management tool. And now we’ll conclude by examining other ways owners can stay on target and put their time to its best use.

“So why should you even bother delegating tasks in your business?” Isip asks. “For starters, it allows you more time for your own work. You have the time and the space to actually sit down and take care of that administration work, those finances or anything else that’s interesting and valuable to you.”

Delegation also allows owners and managers to gain the support of those around them, which, in turn, allows them to support others. 

“You have a set of employees,” Isip says. “These people are available to help you. So, when you delegate tasks, you tap into their support network. Delegating tasks also offers opportunities for growth. If you’re grooming someone into a managerial position, or just want to give someone more responsibility, delegating tasks can be a path to that.”

Spreading out responsibility for tasks also allows leaders to rely on the specialized skills of others. 

“If you’re working with, let’s say, a lawyer, a bookkeeper, an accountant, a graphic designer, a copywriter or someone else doing some professional tasks that you don’t do yourself,” Isip says, “these are all things that people help you with to get the work done for your business.”

There’s also a psychological function that practicing delegation can serve.

“When you delegate tasks,” Isip says, “it solidifies your role as an entrepreneur or small-business owner. You realize that you can’t do it all by yourself and that you know asking for help is just part of the process of being a business owner.”

What are some general responsibilities that can be delegated? 

“You can easily delegate those one-off tasks,” Isip says. “Things that can be quickly done without much thought. Maybe a product needs to be picked up from somewhere. Maybe there are phone calls that need to be made, or meetings that need to be confirmed. Anything that can be done quickly and easily is something that could be delegated.”

When it comes to delegating projects and assignments, Isip says it isn’t necessary to take an “all or nothing” approach. 

“You can break it up into smaller chunks,” she says. “Could you delegate some planning, brainstorming or thinking responsibilities? How about researching, reviewing or evaluating things? Having someone do that first pass can be valuable.”

But, while the owner might entrust tasks to the team, they still need to make sure the job is getting done and being performed in the way the owner deems correct.

Isip offers this checklist for determining success in delegation:

• Has the task been clearly described?
• Has a due date been identified?
• Have the task requirements been presented?
• Has the task been assigned an owner?

“Then you’ll also want to schedule a follow-up meeting,” she says, “to review the work that this person has done, to ensure that it has been done, to review things and also to plan for the future.”

When it comes to developing good time-management skills, Isip feels it’s important to be aware of your activities until they become a habit.

“One thing you can do is to check your work progress hourly,” she says. “It’s as simple as checking your calendar and just seeing where you are. You can do this at the top of the hour or the bottom of the hour. It really doesn’t matter, so long as you’re checking your progress throughout the day. This just helps you stay on track.”

One of the biggest threats to time management is always being available to everyone. 

“You should designate specific times for email,” she says. “We live in a digital age, and we’re able to respond to things right away. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to be on email at all hours of the day. So, consider when you might set aside time to check and process emails in your workday.” 

And, while we should be responsive to others, Isip says, our schedules shouldn’t come in second to their schedule.

“You’re also going to want to think about delaying responses to requests,” she says. “Obviously, people have different requests from your business, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to immediately act or respond to every single request that comes through. You do need time to think, to plan, to review and do all the other things.”

Isip believes that setting your own pace, when possible, is crucial for taking control.

“I’m not saying that you should ignore these requests flat out,” she says, “but rather, think about scheduling time to respond to them at a certain point in your day — maybe at the end of the day, but just not right away. The benefit of this is that it helps you manage your time because you’re not training other people that you’re immediately reachable at any given moment.” 

And, in addition to eliminating distractions as needed, it’s important to take a full lunch and breaks. 

“You’re human. You’re not a robot,” Isip says. “You need time to rest and recharge, so it’s a good idea to give yourself the best care that you can and to make sure that you’re taking those breaks throughout the day.”

For Part 1 of this series, click HERE. For Part 2, click HERE.